“Go touch grass.”
This is a sentence that has been tossed around the Internet for a few years, and more than likely, you have seen it too. This idiomatic phrase is an attempt to hint at the fact that younger generations have been glued to their screens for countless years, unable to pry themselves away from social media and the internet. Copied and pasted into the comment sections of posts of cringy kids that are consumed by the grasp of the internet, the phrase is thrown around by the many people who have accepted their fate as “digitally native.”
Gen Z spends up to nine hours a day on their phone, secluded from the real world. Growing up around devices that other generations were not introduced to until their adult years, it’s no surprise that they seem to be so addicted. When growing up around devices, it is hard to imagine what life could be like without them, and they experience even less of a need to explore outside and make true connections, as everything is available at the click of a button. As soon as iPhones took the market, true interactions seemed to dissolve, malls slowly ran down until they were just scraps of their former glory, and the install rates of all the popular social media platforms boomed.
As we increase the amount of dopamine that hits our brains, we crave it every day with social media, and our brains age faster than average. Hence, the term “Brain-Rot” includes the infamous “skibidi toilet” and “6-7” trends that own many with an online presence. Brain rot is actually rotting our brains, but it does represent the lessening of cognitive skills and codependency on AI, which increases the rapid growth of memory loss (National Geographic). Our brain begs and begs for short-story format videos to aid our lowering attention span, and our emotional well-being is held at the needle point— dependent on such social media.
As more and more young children became glued to their phones, such as the latest generation, Gen Alpha, something became seriously clear—no one was going to save the newer generations from the same trap Gen Z fell into.
The “touch grass” phenomenon: has Gen Z finally become aware that they are losing experience of life while they watch others through a screen?
In recent months, we have seen a small inside movement of teenagers and young adults making an effort to be more conscious of their screen time. Not only has this allowed the generation to make up for their time lost while being captured by the screens, but it has also allowed for a movement to begin. This movement is one that promotes lowering screen time and assists others in their journey to become less involved on social media.
Gen Z might be the revival for the once-lost generation, as teenagers across the globe are becoming connected in their communities and speaking out for their beliefs. Some teenagers are even participating in a trend of ditching their smartphones and replacing them with the less advanced option: flip phones. With this attempt, they hope to decrease the amount of anxiety and depression that counteract the dopamine rush that causes teenagers to become addicted to their phones in the first place. The “touch grass” phenomenon isn’t just another way to fit in with the trends; it is also a silent protest to become more connected within our community, living in the moment.
It is time to relive the nostalgia of a time when people actually talked to one another without a blue speech bubble taking place of true words. One where they embrace new hobbies, venture outside their grassed lawn, and connect with others and, most importantly, themselves. Gen Z may not become the phone-obsessed generation, but rather a group of individuals who are finally addressing and acting on the issue.
When humans let go of their codependent natures, they can find joy in the little things in life, such as reading a book, getting involved in community efforts, or simply letting their brains slow down and relax. It becomes a detox from the toxic blue-light jail that many have found themselves trapped in for many years.
Technology doesn’t have to have people in a chokehold. Don’t let it control you; let you control it.
Go touch grass.
